TsumaSho ep1: Perhaps wisely, the localisers opted for a meaningless contraction rather than translating the Japanese title about wives becoming elementary students. Unfortunately, that same choice might make it harder for this to stand out. In any case, this is the story of a bereaved widower who is just barely getting over the loss of his perfect wife when she dramatically returns as a little kid from someone else's family. She's back from the dead, only it's the opposite of most reincarnation shows because the reincarnated wife is very much hung up on her old life and intent on reconnecting with the people she loved before, which is refreshing as it has all of the elements missing from most of these shows: stakes, feelings and consequences. It's a compelling idea with skeevy undertones; while it did need acknowledging I could live without the incessant in-world quips about the dithery dad being considered a creep if anyone found out about the couple reconnecting with their new age difference. There are a few other niggles too; with its simple animation and plain art style, this isn't an attractive show and it's not all that subtle. The setup was terribly sad on its own but the dramatic presentation of a perfect family life accompanied by overwrought violins and cuts to the tragic hero pushed my tolerance for sentimentality to its limit.
Ranma 1/2 ep1: I love Ranma 1/2 and its crazy characters, but unfortunately I've already read/watched Ranma 1/2 a billion times before, so this well-made (and less saucy) remake doesn't really serve much purpose in my life. I can only imagine that this is primarily for new fans since it's not as though the previous adaptations were bad enough to need a glossy new update. It was a nice blast from the past to see it all again, though, and in a world where I had infinite free time I'd probably keep it in my schedule because I think the core formula still stands up pretty well today.
The Healer Who Was Banished From His Party Is, in Fact, the Strongest ep1: What a title. I was expecting a huge mess of copy-paste tropes and for the most part, I was right. The lead, who looks like the long-lost twin of the guy from Shield Hero, spends most of the episode explaining basic facts about his world's generic RPG-style mechanics to an ignorant new adventurer who insists on partying with him - even though he was infamously fired from a mean party for being too weak. It's a bit revenge-flavoured in that most of the supporting characters are presented as self-serving jerks in dire need of a comeuppance, but THWWBFHPIIFTS manages to establish a decent tone and I was surprised to find that I didn't completely hate it. This is almost entirely due to the mysterious female lead, who manages to have principles of her own and a more interesting design than most of her genre (even if she does strongly resemble Aladdin from Magi). She's a martial artist and while the lead is ostensibly a 'healer' with a mediocre repertoire, he's actually skilled in a number of different disciplines. Their two-person party works reasonably well, and it looks as though this show might be more watchable than most of the series it shamelessly borrows from - at least once the 'tutorial' section is over and the girl can start actually doing stuff.
There was one exchange which is so far winning as the most annoying of the season, though, and it was where the hero tells his new buddy that they can spot traps by looking out for floor tiles which are a different colour to the others. Why?! This happens in animation because the moving tile is on a cel, not the background art, but it makes no sense at all for a trap to be made from a different material in order to reward experienced explorers, as though it's all set up like an RPG to be conquered rather than a world where traps serve a purpose and are set up by individuals. A minor thing but it felt really dumb.
You are Ms. Servant ep1: Why is she called Ms. Servant and not Ms. Maid? In fact, why is she a maid at all? The lead is surprised when a cold-blooded assassin appears on his doorstep and asks him to employ her, which he eventually does - as a housemaid rather than a killer. It was weird that the lead kept saying that his house needed a maid when it looked spotless aside from the sea of neatly-tied bin bags sitting around on every surface; why does he put so much effort into bagging up all of his rubbish yet can't take it outside for collection?! Meanwhile, she can't clean, cook or perform any other mundane task so it came across as strange that he'd shove a stranger into that role. Especially when he then decided that he could teach her all of the chores that he claimed he never did, and he turned out to be reasonably sweet. The most obvious theme here is that the nameless maid has led a harsh, cruel life and her new master is lonely (and kind of lazy), so together they each have something to offer that the other desperately needs - and in spite of all of the servant/maid fetishism potential, the story resists pandering too desperately. Another bonus is that the designs are nice, detailed and distinctive, in spite of immersion-breaking details like the maid apparently sleeping in a full face of makeup and earrings. This show definitely accomplishes what it set out to achieve and rises well above its lame title - it's just that I've seen loads of these shows before and it's not a fantasy that I share. My friend absolutely loved it.
Nina the Starry Bride ep1: A rags to riches story of a young street thief who is cruelly sold, then made to impersonate a missing princess (who is presumed dead off camera, which of course usually means 'still alive' in stories like this...) The lead cannot read or write and realises very quickly that she's in over her head, but she tries her best and somehow makes it through the first episode. It looks as though we're going to be treated to a lot of attractive, politicking characters as the story continues and even though the premise is far from original, I can't wait. The artwork is nice (not quite as lovely as that of the manga, which I haven't read but have admired many times) and this is the kind of fantasy show which I enjoy; there are no adventuring guilds or goofy RPG mechanics, it's just Nina and her struggle to find a way to survive amongst a bunch of shady people with mysterious agendas of their own. I'm in.
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